Authors: Nikki Hoff
Vampire Cadet (9 page)
As she fought with Bryce, struggling to hold him, she heard them scampering out. It would be impossible to retain her grip for long. Bryce was mad with a need to drink blood. He kicked her legs in an attempt to break free. If he escaped, none of the soldiers would live to see the next sun rise. He would kill them all. She had to save them.
They were innocent. She had to protect them.
Shannon screamed as she raised her hand and drove the stake straight through Bryce’s heart. As he yelled and his body burst into flames, she leapt aside. Shannon fell on the floor. She couldn’t look at his burning body. Tears escaped her eyes. What had she done?
What else could she have done?
He’d left her with no choice. His foolish decision had caused his death. Why hadn’t he understood what she had been trying to tell him? For a long time, she lay on the floor, trying in vain to get her feelings into control. She stood. Her gaze was fixed on the corpse of the dead solider. She had to hide the evidence of Ra’ad’s last acts.
And perhaps it was time for her to die also.
Shannon searched the upper floor. She found the remote of the bomb. As she leapt out of the window into the back yard, Shannon pressed the button. In a cacophony of loud noise and red-hot flames, the bomb went off. The upper floor’s roof went flying. Shannon knew that the soldiers had vacated the premises at her warning. They must have retreated back to observe the situation.
She had not been able to save that solider, but she had managed to save them and protect her secret also. It was time for her to leave. People would assume that she died in the building when the bomb blasted. There was nothing more that she could have done given the steps Bryce had already taken.
She would miss him forever.
Shannon curled her upper lip. Perhaps, forever was a long time for her. But certainly, she would miss his presence, his intelligence, and his caring attitude towards her.
It was, however, time to move on.
-----
A year later, Shannon was standing behind a counter. Her hands were busy arranging delicate stems of roses in a transparent vase. It was a lovely day outside. The azure sky was free of clouds, and the sun shone with an unmatched brilliance. Shannon turned to put the vase on a shelf. When she turned back, he was standing right in front of her.
She hadn’t heard him come in.
Shannon tilted her head. She smiled. “Hello?” Her tone was light, musical.
“I was passing by and saw you through the window.” His voice was smooth as honey, and his skin was unblemished. His teeth were as white as pearls, his hair soft, straight, and silky. They were tied in a ponytail. Boy! He was handsome.
She had never seen him before. “Do you live here?”
He flashed her a smile that took her breath away. “No. I’m just visiting. But seeing you, I was thinking that it might be a good idea to stay here a while.”
He was a vampire and an old one too. She was sure he wouldn’t prove to be a threat to the population of the sleepy, beach town she had selected for her current stay. “I would like that,” she said.
This could prove to be an interesting adventure.
THE END
Other books from Pyramid Moon Publishing
By
Nikki Hoff
Happily Ever Afterlife
Her Tom, Her Lover
First Chair
Vampire Cadet
By
Jessica Caspian
Call of Darkness
Conquest of the Alpha
About the Author
Nikki Hoff studied at the University of Bloomsberg. Her passions include flower gardening, Netflix, and coconut oil. You can write to her at [email protected]